Why Brain Balance is our future
This article is a direct message from Dr. Olivia Geen, Aldora’s founder. Learn more about Dr. Geen here.
The science of dementia prevention has changed a lot in the last decade. Suggesting that dementia is preventable might have threatened a doctor’s credibility in the past - but today it’s not only acceptable, it’s spoken about in clinics, hospitals, and medical conferences.
The Lancet - the medical world’s leading scientific journal - has now published major reports in 2017, 2020, and 2024 estimating that at least 45% of the world’s dementia cases could be prevented through modifiable risk factors (read more here). In Canada, that number may be as high as 52% (read more here).
In my own clinical practice as a doctor who specializes in dementia prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, I see the data reflected in the stories of my patients.
For every ten people I diagnose with dementia, only three do not have any identifiable risk factors. The other seven people have four or more risk factors from what we call The Aldora 18 - a comprehensive list of evidence-based and emerging contributors to cognitive decline.
What’s striking is how ordinary these risk factors are. A little high blood pressure here, a touch of untreated hearing loss there, combined with social withdrawal after retirement. Then comes a fall - not serious, but enough to shake the brain. Two years later, memory begins to fade.
I also see patients in their 90s and even over 100 who show no signs of dementia. They tend to have 2 or less risk factors from the Aldora 18. They may also have favourable “longevity” genetics, but genes are only a small part of the story, linked to an estimated 10% of later-life dementia cases.
These stories from real people - and the mounting evidence from the medical community - has led me to the conclusion that the vast majority of dementia arises not from genetics but from the cumulative effects of our daily habits over a lifetime.
This powerful truth - that dementia can be prevented in the majority of people - spurred the founding of Aldora Health. Our mission is to spread the good news - you can take control of your dementia risk! - and provide our members with practical steps to optimize your daily habits across all 18 known risk factors for dementia..
This brings us to Aldora’s concept of Brain Balance.
What Is Brain Balance?
Brain balance is the idea that symptoms of memory loss show up when the damage from dementia proteins in the brain overcomes the brain’s strength. This balance - also called cognitive reserve - is influenced by everything from sleep, nutrition, and exercise, to hearing, social connection, and emotional wellbeing.
In people with strong reserves, damage from dementia proteins may not cause symptoms. But when risk factors stack up and cognitive reserve is low, symptoms emerge sooner, more severely, and are harder to reverse.
The exciting part is that the scales aren’t fixed. With the right interventions, we can tip them back. Sometimes, memory symptoms can be delayed or even reversed.
In this way, brain balance becomes a framework not only for prevention, but for hope.
For more information on Aldora’s Brain Balance framework, read this.
Balance also refers to the way that we approach changes to our daily habits - prevention doesn’t require perfection, and in fact perfection in one area of our life often leads to an imbalance somewhere else.
This isn’t about fear or restriction - both of which could worsen risk factors like anxiety, sleep, and mindset.
It’s about making intentional choices and small changes that are aligned with who you are and how you see your future. Stack the odds in your favour while continuing to enjoy life fully, vibrantly, and with purpose.
In Closing
Brain health is key to a long and healthy life. Build balance before decline. Strengthen the brain before it struggles.
Brain balance is no longer just an idea - it’s the future dementia care.
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